Anaheim proposals

That's all fine and good but you still don't give up a package of that quality for a player that will kill your cap that bad. I can understand moving a medium range contract and a prospect or pick for Fedorov if you can handle the salary but not to the level that you put forward. I'd love to see Fedorov in an Oilers uniform but not at 6 million/season...

I don't see it killing our cap
Horcoff is signed at 1 mil
Dvorak at 1.6 mil (had it wrog earlier, my math still works though)
Ulanov/Cross are both roughly at $900,000

Added up that's 3.5 mil.

Fedorov is making $6 million, so to take him on we'd only be adding $2.5 mil in salary.

Our cap right now is at $29.348 Million +2.5 = $31.548, leaving roughly $3.5 mil a season to get Smyth under contract before we hit the $35 mil budget that is apparently what Lowe is working with. I would much rather have the pieces together at the start of the season then try to make it work at the deadline.

The Oilers will be carrying a payroll of about $30-32 million a year. Is committing over 38% of that in 2 players a wise idea?

Go through the payrolls of all the teams, most will have 12-15 mil wrapped up in two players. Keep in mind the Oilers will be trying to work out a long term deal with Peca at a reduced rate once Jan. 1 rolls around, clearing up additional cap space.

I don't see it killing our cap
Horcoff is signed at 1 mil
Dvorak at 1.6 mil (had it wrog earlier, my math still works though)
Ulanov/Cross are both roughly at $900,000

Added up that's 3.5 mil.

Fedorov is making $6 million, so to take him on we'd only be adding $2.5 mil in salary.

Our cap right now is at $29.348 Million +2.5 = $31.548, leaving roughly $3.5 mil a season to get Smyth under contract before we hit the $35 mil budget that is apparently what Lowe is working with. I would much rather have the pieces together at the start of the season then try to make it work at the deadline.

Please explain to me how our cap is suddenly screwed

First off, the downgrade on the second line of Dvorak to Winchester completely counteracts the upgrade of Horcoff to Fedorov. Why spend the extra money upgrading your top line when the second line will end up being extremely weakened? I like Winchester and I hope he gets a spot on the roster this season but not in the top 6. More importantly, Fedorov is locked up for 2 more years after this season (two player options I believe). It would be a different story if the contract was shorter but it's not.

I'd much rather save the cap space and go after a younger player next off-season (and possibly resign Peca to a long-term deal if he looks good as an Oiler). We're essentially locked into place if we pickup Fedorov's 6 million alongside Pronger's 6.25 and I really dislike the lack of flexibility it leaves us with.

Reasoning: Burke has never sounded to high on having Sergei Fedorov, Dvorak is a second line winger who I think can play on the left side, certainly couldn't be worse than Leclerc or Neidermeyer, plus they get a prospect on the left side in Rita who has a lot of upside, he just has to realize it, and a serviceable defenceman in either Ulanov or Cross, the second round pick I think evens out any short comings in theplayers. The big thing is though the Ducks drop about $3 mil in salary and get three players who can play at the nhl level right now and second round pick while the Oilers get that number one centre they have long been searching for and still have three million or so left to sign Smyth and can let some of their prospects play.

I leave it to the rest of you to rip it apart.

that would be fine except anaheim would have no number one center and I imagine fedorov could be a player that benefits from the rules.

On the other hand there are a few teams that missed out on signing offensive help this summer who may be interested in a Sykora. Atlanta, Buffalo, Washington...

Fair point. Atlanta still needs to get Kovalchuk and Heatley signed first. After that I don't know if they're still going to be adding salary. Washington needs bodies to get up to the cap floor, and I dont think Buffalo is going to spend more than $30 mil. Although they're hard to figure out right now because so many of their salaries are undisclosed. The problem for the Ducks is going to be that even if they move Sykora instead of one of the other likely candidates (Salei, Rucchin, Carney), they still can't take on probably more than $1 mil in salary in return. If they move one of those other 3 I don't think they'd be able to take on any salary unless they move Leclerc as well. Of course that's assuming they're going to be at $37-37.5 max like most of the other teams have said they'll be at.

Go through the payrolls of all the teams, most will have 12-15 mil wrapped up in two players. Keep in mind the Oilers will be trying to work out a long term deal with Peca at a reduced rate once Jan. 1 rolls around, clearing up additional cap space.

As it stands right now only 3 teams have $12 million or more dedicated to 2 players. Anaheim, Colorado and St. Louis. It is not a good idea for any team to put over 30% of their cap space into 2 players.

First off, the downgrade on the second line of Dvorak to Winchester completely counteracts the upgrade of Horcoff to Fedorov. Why spend the extra money upgrading your top line when the second line will end up being extremely weakened? I like Winchester and I hope he gets a spot on the roster this season but not in the top 6. More importantly, Fedorov is locked up for 2 more years after this season (two player options I believe). It would be a different story if the contract was shorter but it's not.

I'd much rather save the cap space and go after a younger player next off-season (and possibly resign Peca to a long-term deal if he looks good as an Oiler). We're essentially locked into place if we pickup Fedorov's 6 million alongside Pronger's 6.25 and I really dislike the lack of flexibility it leaves us with.

If you want give prospect you're high on a chance to suceed, put them in situations where they can succeed. Do I think Winchester will put up the same numbers a DVO in that spot - chances are no, but who knows he could break out in a big way getting second line time, plus playing with Peca will help shore up possible defensive shortcomings as a rookie. Huge down grade, I don't neccesarily think so.

True having the two contracts makes for inflexibilty in the budget, but who says number one centres are going to be any cheaper next year. Plus with This lineup there is no reason the Oilers can't go on a long playoff run, increasing their budget in future seasons. Again, Peca will be renegotiated (I heard the rumor somewhere, can't remember where though) freeing up cap space in the long term, and if he isn't well then it frees up a second line centre spot for Schremp to jump into next season without having the pressure of having to carry the team.

As it stands right now only 3 teams have $12 million or more dedicated to 2 players. Anaheim, Colorado and St. Louis. It is not a good idea for any team to put over 30% of their cap space into 2 players.

OK, I admit I went a little high on the 12-15 mil, I was going off the top of my head with that number.
Just rolled through the pay rolls on TSN and the quick scan shows 15 of the teams with more than $10 mil wrapped up in two players with Atlanta still needing to sign both Heatly and Kovalchuk and Tampa needing to sign St. Louis and FLorida needing to sign Louongo, Jokinen, Van Ryne and JBO.
So to have arguably the best defenceman in the league plus one of the top centres in the league wrapped up at 12 mil for the next three seasons, I'll take that.

I would be absolutely shocked if Anaheim returned anything more than a draft pick or two in any trade. If they get a real player as part of a deal, itíll only be a cheap, servicable grinder.
No GM is going to trade any player of consequence to rent Sykora or Carney for a year and bail the Ducks out of their financial jam.
Not to mention that it strikes me funny to move a guy for the purpose of creating cap room, then immediately eating up some of that room by wanting an NHL player in return.

I think a 2nd rounder (for Sykora) would be pretty generous given the factors at play here.

We won't be much over the cap once Salei signs, less than $500k. So getting an NHL player back isn't a bad idea at all. A second line LW that can take the first line for the season would be good return for the Ducks if Sykora is delt IMO.

We won't be much over the cap once Salei signs, less than $500k. So getting an NHL player back isn't a bad idea at all. A second line LW that can take the first line for the season would be good return for the Ducks if Sykora is delt IMO.

Who is going to give the Ducks a cheap, 2nd line LW to rent Sykora for one year? Especially when the Ducks have handcuffed themselves financially.

If it happens, I'll come back here, apologize and admit I'm wrong. But looking at the Ducks' situation I don't see them acquiring a roster player of any note or value in this situation.

Who is going to give the Ducks a cheap, 2nd line LW to rent Sykora for one year? Especially when the Ducks have handcuffed themselves financially.

If it happens, I'll come back here, apologize and admit I'm wrong. But looking at the Ducks' situation I don't see them acquiring a roster player of any note or value in this situation.

Well, if Buffalo's interested in adding some scoring, I could see them trading a guy like Taylor Pyatt for him. He's a cheap, 2nd line LW. I think a deal like that would work out for both teams. Heck, Burkey could probably throw a conditional pick in there to balance it out.

Buffalo has no need and little use for Sykora. Some form of draft pick in the 3rd or 4th round range for Carney would likely be more their angle.

As for Dumont... I doubt he's going anywhere now that they have him playing hard nightly, shift-to-shift. Sykora is over a million more for this season and not all that much more effective. Factor in Sykora being UFA at the end of this deal and Dumont being 27 with one more year before hitting UFA age.... it isn't even a lateral move. It's a step back.

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Well, if Buffalo's interested in adding some scoring, I could see them trading a guy like Taylor Pyatt for him. He's a cheap, 2nd line LW. I think a deal like that would work out for both teams. Heck, Burkey could probably throw a conditional pick in there to balance it out.

Buffalo needs defensemen. They're already awash with a ton of 2nd line type talent up front.

But yea, trading Vishnevski for Cooke doesn't make a lot of sense, Cooke will likely be making around $1 mil when he signs.

Well, Burke did say it would either be one or maybe a couple players traded. So instead of trading one big salary like Sykora's, perhaps he'll trade several guys making less? So perhaps Vishnevski could be traded after all, though I figure dumping Carney's salary still would make a whole lot more sense both in the short and long term.